How would you feel if a movie you were starring in got a special screening at the White House—and it put the president to sleep? Gwyneth Paltrow hilariously recounted that President Bill Clinton (apparently not a fan of 19th century comedies) slept through a showing of Emma, a factoid she divulged on “Hot Ones,” per Entertainment Tonight.
“Is it true that Bill Clinton passed out asleep during a White House screening of Emma?” host Sean Evans asked, apparently aware of a pop culture deep cut we were not.
“True,” Paltrow said, barely able to contain her laughter. “He was snoring right in front of me. I was like, ‘Wow, I guess this is going to be a real hit movie.’”
Paltrow was the star of the 1996 period comedy set in 19th century England. She played 21-year-old Emma Woodhouse; the film is based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel of the same name. It went on to gross nearly $40 million at the box office and was nominated for two Academy Awards—and that success led Paltrow to deliver a message to Clinton (albeit jokingly): “But it was [a real hit], so f—k you, Bill Clinton!” she quipped.
Clueless, by the way, also functions as a loose retelling of Emma; Clueless was released in 1995 with Alicia Silverstone playing the lead role (whose name was Cher, not Emma—modern adaptation and all). Later, Anya Taylor-Joy starred in a 2020 remake of Emma.
Paltrow rarely has time for acting these days as she runs her Goop lifestyle empire and reflected on those years in Hollywood versus the present day: “I think, if I look at the industry as a whole, this sort of big push into superhero movies—you can only make so many good ones that feel truly original, and yet they’re still always trying to reach as many people as possible, which sometimes hinders quality or specificity or a real point of view,” she said. “You’re absolutely right, I grew up doing those movies, and I sometimes lament the fact that I look back at some of [the mid-budget] movies I made in the ‘90s and think, ‘That just wouldn’t get made now.’”
